The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
A vehicle that includes an internal combustion engine may produce exhaust gas having varying concentrations of oxygen. The vehicle may include one or more oxygen sensors to monitor the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas. Oxygen sensors typically include a sensor element and a heating element. The sensor element operates effectively after reaching an operating temperature (e.g., 650° C.).
An engine control module (ECM) may apply a voltage and/or current to the heating element to heat the sensor element to the operating temperature. The ECM determines that the heating element is at the operating temperature based on a resistance of the heating element. The ECM determines the resistance of the heating element based on the voltage and/or current applied to the heating element.